


Maybe in a Different Life

by YoungSoon



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Bromance to Romance, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Romance, The List of Tags Will Grow With Each Update, jeanmarco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 21:31:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11090325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoungSoon/pseuds/YoungSoon
Summary: A growing collection of Jean and Marco short one-shots and drabbles in both the original universe and different alternative worlds.





	Maybe in a Different Life

**Author's Note:**

> A drabble of Marco checking up on Jean.

A weight familiar but odd settles on the edge of Jean’s bed. He’s still asleep, at least he thinks that he is still sleeping, but he can clearly feel someone sitting down and pulling the blanket more over his shoulders. He feels a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze and he might indeed be still asleep, still dreaming but he knows this touch, he recognizes it better than anything else. 

“You’re doing so well,” Jean can swear he knows the voice, he has heard it before, but it seems distant and almost faded from his memory as if hadn’t heard it for months, for years maybe. Yet why does it seem so close, so familiar and so warm?

Jean’s lids feel heavier than ever and he puts all his willpower into opening his eyes. Everything is covered in a thick fog and only a silueth with dark hair can be made out. The fog starts clearing unbelievably slowly and Jean sits up and rubs his eyes. The silhouette clears up, sun-kissed skin with freckles generously sprinkled on it appears from the fog right before Jean’s eyes. He can now clearly see the soft smile, the warm brown eyes and his own heart is raging in his chest.

“Marco?” Jean breathes out in disbelief looking at the young man sitting on the edge of his bed. He’s wearing the Training Corps uniform, the patches of crossed swords on the sleeves. The straps of the maneuvering gear are in place and he looks fully ready to head out for a mission, fully ready to face this scary world, just the way Jean last saw him rush by.

“Marco…”he repeats and doesn’t even think twice before he launches forward and wraps his arms around the raven-haired man’s shoulders. “Where the hell have you been?” he tightens his hug as much as he can the very second he feels Marco’s arms wrapping around him. “Do you even know what kind of awful things we all thought?” 

“Sorry,” comes a very simply reply and even though Jean is holding Marco as close as he can, his voice seems distant, almost like he’s not even here and all Jean can hear is a vague echo. 

“Sorry is not going to cut it, you know!” Jean pulls back, his hands on Marco’s shoulders. It could be his imagination but the usually broad and strong shoulders feel uneven. The right shoulder seems smaller and lower for some reason. “Did you meet with the others already? They will be so happy to see you. Eren will probably cry,” he jokes even though he has to admit he might be holding back a set of tears himself. He thought he would never see the always too positive freckled boy again, yet here he was and Jean’s heart was doing flips in his chest. There are so many things he finally wants to tell him, so many things he wants to ask and it’s unbelievable he will finally have the chance to.

“No, I didn’t see them,” the replies seem very dry and short for the Marco’s usual chatty self. He is right here, but somehow he still seems and feels so incredibly far it’s starting to frighten Jean.

“Then we should go,” Jean is about to jump out of the bed, his hand now holding onto Marco’s right lower arm, which seems oddly thin and light. “Let’s go,” he tries to move but for some reason he can’t leave the bed and Marco isn’t moving either.

“I can’t. I just stopped by to see you. You always make me worried, but now I have seen you are actually doing so well,” Marco smiles and only now Jean notices that the right side of his mouth is a bit stiff, not even arching a bit, making his smile crooked and almost eari. His right eye seems off as well, as if it’s not seeing a thing even though Marco is looking straight at Jean.

“What do you mean you can’t? Did you ditch us and join the military police instead?” Jean pulls back to look at the man.

“It’s not that,” Marco shakes his head. “I wish I could explain, but I don’t have time. At least not now. Next time we meet I will tell you everything, yet I hope that doesn’t happen soon,” he stands up and Jean barely manages to grab his right hand. It’s awfully cold, but he isn’t planning on letting go,

“Hold up! This is not how things work, Marco! I am going with you then!” Jean exclaims and tries to get out of the bed again, but this time the force that stops him is Marco. He takes Jean’s hand between his - a contrast of freezing cold and perfectly warm - and once more smiles down at him.

“No, you’re not. It’s not the time for you to come with me. Not yet,” he squeezes Jean’s hand before letting go of it and stepping back. “You’re doing great, Jean. I’m so happy,” The thick fog that filled the room before is back and Jean tries to fight it of. “Goodbye,” he hears faintly and rubs his eyes, he tries to see where Marco went but it’s no use. He blinks just for a second and the moment he opens his eyes again the fog is gone, but so is Marco. Instead Eren is entering the room through the only door in the room and Cony is snoring loudly in a bed further away.

“Where’s Marco?” Jean blurts out taking Eren by surprise. “Where is he?” he asks absolutely seriously, ignoring the sad look on Eren’s face. “He was just here a minute ago!” he exclaims and jumps out of the bed. “Did he walk pass you in the hallway? Why didn’t you stop him?” Jean heads to the door but Eren stops him by the wrist.

“Jean… He’s gone. You found him yourself, remember?” Eren whispers and the taller man freezes. “It’s been almost a year, Jean.” he adds and the excited flutter in Jean’s heart, the sudden joy of seeing Marco again, dies out completely.

“He was just here…” Jean murmurs and the tears of joy he held back revert back to one’s of sadness and he bites on his lower lip. “I know it was him,”  his gaze meets the floor and he balls up his fists. 

“It was a dream,” Eren says calmly and let’s go of Jean’s arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. “It was just a dream, Jean,” he repeats and waits for second longer before stepping away from Jean who is still standing at the door.

“Right,” he lets out a small, sarcastic laugh. “It was just a dream… he was just stopping by… and I didn’t tell him… again,” Jean murmurs before dragging his feet back to the bed. He sits on the edge of it and looks at the spot where  _ he _ sat just minutes ago, so incredibly vividly. The room sinks into silence, apart from Cony’s snoring, and Eren falls asleep soon aswell, leaving Jean alone with his thoughts.

“If I was doing so fine, why did you appear and make it harder again?” he whispers and lays his hand on the sheets next to him. “Why did you appear and make it all come back to me?’ Jean rests his elbows on his knees and hides his face in his hands. “I’m not doing great. I’m not doing good,” he murmurs against his palms. He let’s out a shay breath and rubs his face before getting back in bed. He pulls the blanket as high as possible, everything below his nose covered. 

“I still miss you , you idiot,” Jean whispers and hopes for another dream like the one before, even thought it would be even more painful. His sleep is dreamless, at least it seems like it, even though he can feel someone sitting on the edge of his bed again with the same familiar aura. This time he doesn’t fight the weight of his lids. He simply enjoys the presence he misses every day, even if it’s just his brain playing tricks, even if  _ he _ is just stopping by.


End file.
